


you are my favorite mistake (it can only be fate)

by grahamcracker76



Series: my favorite mistake [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Episode: s01e04 The Poisoned Chalice, M/M, Magic Revealed, Soul Bond, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24886096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grahamcracker76/pseuds/grahamcracker76
Summary: When Merlin accidentally creates a mental link between himself and Arthur, they discover far more about each other than they could ever have imagined.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: my favorite mistake [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802329
Comments: 43
Kudos: 588





	you are my favorite mistake (it can only be fate)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place during 1x04, The Poisoned Chalice, which will forever be one of my favorite episodes in the entire series. This is when we really get to see what great lengths Merlin and Arthur will go to protect each other because that’s just what they do. I thought it would be fun to add a mental link and a magic!reveal into the mix!
> 
> I’ve been rewatching the show and it’s been a while since I wrote Merlin fic, so this has been a lot of fun to revisit - one can never get tired of Merlin. I hope you enjoy!

Arthur can’t breathe.

He’s staring into the deep blue eyes of his brave, reckless, loyal, _idiot_ manservant as he toasts Arthur’s health and raises the chalice to his lips. Merlin’s throat bobs as he swallows and Arthur’s hands are clammy and trembling and he can’t look away and he can’t _breathe…_

There’s a moment of silence as everyone waits with bated breath. Then, Merlin looks up at him in mingled confusion and relief before his gaze flicks to the King. “It’s fine,” he says, and he sounds faintly surprised, like he had really _thought…_

The commotion starts as their guests demand justice, but all Arthur can feel is heady relief, because Merlin is fine, he’s okay… but then Merlin chokes, a horrible hacking sound, and his hands come up to his throat as his eyes roll back into his head. Arthur’s stomach drops and he rushes forward as Merlin falls to the floor, twitching and gasping and heaving. Merlin was right, it _was_ poison and it was meant for Arthur but it is now running through _Merlin’s_ veins, because he is a brave, reckless, loyal, _idiot._

Arthur can’t _breathe_ because Merlin might be an idiot, but he has never known anyone like him and he won’t let Merlin die, not when there is something he can do about it. All Arthur can think as they rush Merlin to Gaius’ is that he will do whatever it takes to save his life because against all reason or logic, that is exactly what Merlin does for him.

***

The problem is, everyone thinks they can tell him what to do.

“You’re not going,” Uther says, but Arthur has already made up his mind.

“Sometimes you’ve got to do what you think is right and damn the consequences,” Morgana tells him.

“Eventually, he will die,” Gaius had said.

In the end, there was only one path he could take. Arthur leaves that night.

***

Arthur kills the beast guarding the forest easily enough, but, just his luck, the peasant woman he thought he’d been defending is actually a sorceress. He hears rock crumbling beneath his feet and turns to see the dark-haired woman muttering behind him, her eyes on fire. _Magic,_ Arthur realizes in horror and _leaps_ , managing to grab onto the cliff just in time as the bridge falls into the chasm below.

“Who are you?” he demands, but she only smiles, her face cold and triumphant.

“The last face you will ever see,” she says, “but it is not your destiny to die at my hand. Goodbye, Arthur Pendragon.” She turns, her cloak swirling behind her as she leaves, taking the light with her.

The chasm plunges into darkness and Arthur is left gasping as the cold air bites at his skin, clinging desperately to the cliff wall. He can’t see, he can’t breathe, he can’t _move,_ but he _has_ to. He has to, or Merlin will die - brave, stupid, incredible Merlin, who was ready to give his life for Arthur without a second thought. So Arthur has to succeed - he _has_ to, or what was any of it for?

He gathers up his courage, but then there’s an odd pressure in his head and he gasps in shock as he feels a sparkling, incandescent presence bursting into life within him. _Arthur,_ he hears, like a voice inside his head, and it sounds like Merlin, but that’s mad, and more than that, it’s _impossible_ because Merlin is back in Camelot in the grips of a deadly fever, but then Arthur hears it again. _Arthur,_ the voice says again, and nobody has ever said his name like that, not ever, like he’s the most precious thing in the world, to be protected and cherished and held close. _Too dark, it’s too dark,_ Arthur hears, and he has to say he agrees, but it’s not like there’s anything he can do about it, is there?

But just as he thinks the words, a shining ball of blue light appears next to him, bathing the chasm in light. _Magic,_ Arthur thinks grimly, and braces himself. Maybe the sorceress has come back to finish her work after all. Whatever it is, it can’t be anything good. In his experience, magic never is. “Well?” he shouts. “Come on then, what are you waiting for? Finish me off!”

He struggles up to the ledge, ready to face his doom, but to his surprise, absolutely nothing happens. The light merely hovers above him, and it doesn’t feel threatening at all. As Arthur stares at it, he is overwhelmed with a sense of comfort and belonging and warmth, and Arthur begins to relax, overwhelmed with the certainty that the light is meant to help him, and not to hurt him.

His gaze falls on the flowers above him, and he feels a sudden sense of panic rush through him that is not his own. _Leave them, Arthur,_ he hears, and that’s _definitely_ Merlin’s voice, but he can’t think of what that might mean now, not when so much is at stake. He hears ominous scuttling of spiders heading close, but he can do this - he knows he can.

 _Go. Save yourself - follow the light,_ the voice urges, but he ignores the voice in his head that is not his own, that somehow sounds a lot like Merlin. He heads towards the flowers, ignoring the voice in his head that is still begging with him, insistent and desperate. Finally - _finally_ \- he reaches the flowers and manages to pluck one. He tucks it carefully into his belt and looks down as the spiders get closer and closer.

He climbs, but his gloves slip on the rock and he can’t get a good hold. He tugs his gloves off with his teeth and he climbs and climbs and climbs, sweat dripping into his eyes as his muscles scream in protest.

 _Faster_. _Go faster - follow the light,_ the voice begs, and he does. He follows the light and he knows this is mad, but he is not afraid. He knows that somehow, someone is keeping him safe. Somewhere, someone cares about him more than he could imagine.

 _Move - climb!_ he hears, and he does, pulling himself to the top of the cliff and racing out of the cave. He draws his sword, waiting breathlessly, but the spiders don’t follow him. The light hovers beside him a moment longer before fading, and Arthur knows then that he is safe. Now, he just has to make sure that Merlin is, too.

***

When Arthur returns, his father throws him in a cell for his troubles - Arthur realizes with a sinking feeling that he should have expected it. But even worse, Uther refuses to bring the flower to Gaius, and Merlin - now Merlin _will_ die. Arthur can feel him inside his head, and there’s no more words, just an endless stream of pain. Arthur himself is numb and desperate with it, and no matter how he begs and pleads, his father will not listen.

“I’ll see you’re let out in a week,” Uther says, “and then you can find yourself another servant,” as if Merlin is just one of the masses, as if he’s replaceable, when Arthur knows in his bones that no one could replace Merlin, not in a million years. Not ever.

He slumps against the cold cell wall and puts his head in his hands. He can feel Merlin’s pain like it is his own, and he knows what it means - the light in the cave, the voice in his head, everything. He knows it means that Merlin has magic, and that Merlin has been lying to him this whole time - or at least, he has not been telling him the whole truth.

In other circumstances, Arthur might have angry, but he knows that it was Merlin’s magic that came to his aid in the caves, and he knows that Merlin means him no harm. Quite the opposite, in fact: Merlin seems determined to risk anything to save his life. The way his father tells it, magic can only be evil, but Arthur has _felt_ Merlin’s magic, and Arthur knows it is far from evil. He had looked at the light shining out of all that darkness and he had felt… love.

But Arthur can’t think of that now. Arthur sits there and breathes and does his best to bear the pain because he knows it can only mean that Merlin is still alive. Then Gwen comes and Arthur smuggles out the flower with her, and as she leaves, he feels he can finally breathe again. Gaius will know what to do, and Merlin will live. He _has_ to.

***

When Merlin wakes, Arthur feels it in his head.

 _Ugh,_ Merlin groans, and Arthur jerks up in surprise.

 _Merlin!_ he says, delighted. _You’re awake! How do you feel?_

 _Arthur? What? Stop_ shouting _, my head… wait. Where are you?_

 _...um, I’m inside your head, I think. And you’re inside mine, so it seems._ He pauses as Merlin flails mentally, and rolls his eyes. _Is there anything you’d like to tell me?_

 _Oh no,_ Merlin thinks, resigned.

Arthur smiles.

***

_I don’t think this is what the dragon meant when he said we had a destiny,_ Merlin muses some time later, when everything has been argued over and explained and talked through.

Arthur pauses. _Wait. What dragon?_

Merlin is silent for a moment. _Any chance you could just forget I said that?_

Arthur sighs. _You do realize this will make it a lot harder for you to hide things from me. Not that you were any good at it to begin with._

 _Maybe it could be a good thing,_ Merlin thinks hesitantly. _Sure, it’s a bit inconvenient, but… surprisingly, I don’t mind having you in my head._

Arthur snorts. _Surprisingly, I don’t mind having you in my head, either._

***

_Two days until I’m out,_ Arthur thinks. _Then I can annoy you in person._

 _I can’t wait,_ Merlin responds wryly. _Hey, I managed to get out of bed today._

Arthur smiles. _Good. I’m sure you’ll be up and about in no time. Have I mentioned I’m glad you’re okay?_

_I know. And Arthur - thanks._

Merlin’s mental voice is warm, and Arthur knows what he means - Arthur _feels_ everything he doesn’t yet have the words to say.

 _Any time,_ he responds. _Anything, always._

***

As soon as Arthur gets out of that dank little cell, he goes to see Merlin. Well - first, he has a quick wash, because it’s been a week, and he’s disgusting. _Then,_ he goes to see Merlin.

“Still alive then, I see,” he quips, because he can’t think of anything better to say. _Thank god you’re still alive,_ is what he means, and he feels Merlin’s answering smile before he sees it.

“Yeah, just about,” Merlin replies.

“I was only dropping by to make sure you’re all right,” Arthur says. “And to check that you’ll be back at work tomorrow.”

“Yeah, of course - bright and early,” Merlin says. _There’s nowhere else I’d rather be_ , he adds, his eyes on Arthur’s.

Arthur shakes his head and grasps Merlin’s shoulder. Beneath his hand, Merlin is warm and firm and wonderfully _alive,_ and Arthur can finally breathe easy again, now that he has felt it for himself. _I know,_ he tells him. _You don’t have to pander to me - I have a direct line now, remember?_

Merlin rolls his eyes. _How could I forget?_

“Get some rest,” Arthur says out loud, his voice gentler than he meant it to be, but that’s okay. He doesn’t mind, when it’s Merlin.

Merlin nods, and Arthur squeezes his shoulder before turning and heading back out the door, though he wants nothing more than to stay. He has his duties and today, it might seem like a chore, but tomorrow, Merlin will be with him again and he will make everything better just by being there. In the mean time, he has Merlin’s voice in his head, and though Arthur can’t say he’d ever thought this would happen, it’s better than he could have possibly imagined.

“Arthur,” Merlin says just as he is about to leave, and he turns to see Merlin looking back at him, soft and warm. “Thank you.”

“You too,” he says, because he’s starting to realize that this is what they do, Arthur and Merlin. He saved Merlin, but then Merlin had also saved him. They save each other. It’s more than Arthur ever knew to ask for, and really? He couldn’t be happier with the way this turned out.

 _Me too,_ Merlin says.

Arthur smiles.

***

E N D

***


End file.
